Sideways
by lovesxcontagious
Summary: Dramione. They were once best friends, but now they're forced to be enemies.
1. Ghosts of the Past

**Sideways**

I. Ghosts of the Past

Draco Malfoy stood in the wide corridor for the third year in a row. He glanced around the room anxiously, his grey eyes scanning the vast sea of flowing robes. After a few painstaking moments, he saw her; Hermione Granger. She was his best friend from his second birthday to his 11th. They both spent their whole lives preparing for Hogwarts and when the day finally came; neither could be more excited than the other…

"_Oh, Draco, isn't it exciting?" Hermione gushed, grasping her letter so hard that her knuckles turned white and the parchment crushed under her hand. She was practically squealing with joy as she rushed to him and shoved the letter into his hand._

_ "I suppose," Draco tried to act calm, but his heart was beating furiously under his chest as he scanned the words on the page, saying his very best friend was going to be attending Hogwarts that coming fall. He had gotten his letter a mere two weeks beforehand. _

_ Hermione clapped her arms around her best friends neck, her bushy hair impairing his vision momentarily, "I can't wait. We'll have so much fun together, Draco." _

_ Draco smiled, Hermione and Draco would rule Hogwarts together, the two best friends, pure bloods, coming from upstanding and important families. The most important detail to him, though, was that they would stay together._

Draco cringed at the thought and watched his oldest friend from afar, as she went and rejoined her two best friends with a grin on her face. The grin Draco used to think was reserved for him. It almost broke him, right there in the hallway outside of the Great Hall. Finally, the doors opened and they all filed in somewhat quickly. He felt a minor shove from behind and he growled, turning on his heel, "Watch it," he grumbled. Glancing up, he found himself eye-to-eye with Harry Potter. He pursed his lips and sighed contentedly, "Ah…Potter."

"Malfoy," Harry said through clenched teeth. He was flanked by none other than Ron Weasley and, to Draco's great disappointment, Hermione Granger. Ron managed a few choice words under his breath, and Hermione stood there, stone-faced and silent.

"Weasley, Granger," he nodded in their direction with a smirk on his face, "you might learn how to address your superiors." He shrugged and winked, "Just a suggestion."

Ron scoffed and Hermione came back quickly with retaliation, "Superiors? Really, Malfoy."

Harry managed simply to say, "Shove off, Malfoy." And push his friends in the right direction.

Draco ignored them after that, brushing past them and heading to the Slytherin table. He watched Hermione walk towards the Gryffindor table with a pang of regret, one he always tried to push aside after these small spats with the trio. He sat down next to his loyal cronies, Crabbe and Goyle and sighed loudly, completely blocking out the sorting of the first year students. His mind was overcome with more memories that he'd tried for almost three years now to suppress.

_ "I hope I'm in Slytherin." Draco groaned, his face rapidly losing color, "I don't even know what my father will do if I'm not…"_

_Hermione shook her head and patted his leg supportively, "Don't worry Draco." She said it somewhat absentmindedly as she poured over her newest book obsession, "Hogwarts: A History." She hummed a nameless tune to herself and then announced, "I've decided I'd like to be in Gryffindor."_

_Draco made a face somewhat like one you'd make when you noticed an unpleasant smell. He obviously disagreed, but asked anyway, "Why in the name of Merlin would you want to be in…Gryffindor." He said the name with contempt._

_Hermione snapped her book shut and looked in her best friend's eyes, "Smarts, bravery, you know, the normal reasons." She shrugged. _

_Draco rolled his eyes, "I don't know what's in that book, but Slytherin is the best house. My family's been in it for generations." _

"_Just because your family's been in it, doesn't make it the best." Hermione's eyes narrowed, daring him to continue the argument._

_Draco, having had seen that look enough times, offered his hands up in the motion of surrender. They spent the rest of the train ride laughing, glancing out the window and just being young children, off to their first day of school. Somewhere in the middle of this, a young red-headed wizard tapped on their compartment door. Draco reached up and unlocked the door, sliding it back and, looking bored, addressed the wizard. "Can we help you?" _

_The wizard's eyebrows rose, but he responded pointedly, "If you'll look out your window, you'll see Hogwarts is approaching. I'd recommend changing into your robes." _

_Hermione, eyes bright with excitement, reached above Draco and pulled her neatly folded robes down from the rack above the seats, quickly throwing them over her head. She pressed her hands nervously in her lap and watched as the castle got closer and closer, "What if I get up there and I just…don't get sorted?" her eyes welled._

_Draco, exasperated, popped his blond head out from the top of his robes. He settled himself next to his friend and took her hand in his, looking in her eyes, "If anyone is meant to be at Hogwarts, it's us, Hermione." _

Draco was awakened from this by Crabbe nudging him roughly in the ribs, "C'mon, mate; time to go." He'd completely missed dinner and he felt his stomach grumble. He pressed a hand to it and nodded at Crabbe and Goyle to go on as he pushed away from the table and got up, his robes swishing quietly behind him. The castle seemed to be abandoned on the lower levels, as everyone filed up the stairs to their warm common rooms. The Slytherins all moved in one group of emerald robes towards the dungeons and Malfoy quickly vouched for a different route. He turned on his heel and started walking towards the fruit tapestry on the first floor which, if you tickled the proper pear, gave way to a door to the kitchens.

When Draco reached said tapestry, he found the door already opened. He debated not entering, but decided that his stomach couldn't handle a whole night without food. He walked in with his signature strut and the look that said he could do, basically, whatever he wanted. He slid onto a stool in the middle of the kitchen as over-helpful kitchen elves came and asked what he'd like. He merely asked for some left over dinner and the obliged, magically heating up remains and placing them on a plate for him. As he ate a sweet potato, he heard talking and giggling in the next room, which was also another kitchen. He got up from his stool, to protests from his stomach, and walked into the room.

"I'm so glad you liked the sweaters, Dobby." Hermione smiled and patted the house elf's bald head. Dobby practically tripped over himself, and blushed furiously. Malfoy knew this particular house elf, as he used to work in his own home at Malfoy Manor. Draco held his breath and tried to back out of the room before anyone could see him, but it seemed as soon as he turned his back she felt his presence. "Oh, Draco, I didn't see you…"

Draco shook his head, pressing his lips in a hard line, "Of course, Granger. Fraternizing with house elves now, too?" He chuckled, "I guess blood traitors weren't bad enough for you."

Hermione recoiled as though she'd been slapped and nodded silently, "Well, Dobby, I'll come back later sometime. It was lovely seeing you, really." She brushed past Malfoy on her way out and he heard her quiet sobs echo through the empty kitchen.

Dobby eyed him suspiciously, making him feel guilty. "What're you looking at, you filthy elf. Shouldn't you be making my breakfast for tomorrow?" He grumbled and left the room before the elf could respond. He looked at his full plate, and suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. He flung his hand in the plates direction and watched the contents fly and as groaned in frustration. Nothing would ever be the same as it was.


	2. Apologies

**A/N: follow me on twitter for updates and spoilers for the next chapters. Also, I might be asking what you would like to happen on there! So follow :) ****.com/makingburritos**

II. Apologies

After leaving the kitchens, Hermione leaned against the hard stone walls of Hogwarts castle. She took deep calming breaths and tried her best to stop the sobs from wracking her body. Draco Malfoy was once the most important person in her life. Every fight her parents had, every nightmare, Draco would be just across the street, and now they were at each other's throats. Grasping her stomach, Hermione gathered herself and headed up towards the Gryffindor common room. Reaching the tapestry, she saw the Fat Lady was snoozing lazily while leaning against the edge of her frame. Hermione sighed, "Caput draconis."

The Fat Lady awakened and, grumpily, nodded and swung open, "Very well."

Hermione ducked her head and emerged in the Gryffindor common room. Immediately her two best friends stuck out, they were sitting at their usual spot in the comfy arm chairs by the fire. She made a move to go sit with them, but suddenly changed her mind; she just wasn't up to the interrogation that came with her puffy red eyes. Moving past the congested common room, Hermione headed up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She pulled open her bed curtains and didn't bother changing into her night clothes, curling up and letting her emotions take hold of her.

The next morning, the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses had Defense Against the Dark Arts, as per usual. This year, being the 6th, Professor Snape had gotten the job so obviously for Harry, Ron, and Hermione; this was their least favorite class. They entered the dungeons shortly before the bell, Hermione still in a rather dismal mood. Sitting at their usual table, Professor Snape entered and, with a wave of his wand, directions appeared on the chalk board, "Begin." He said lazily.

Hermione pushed away from her table, following the herd towards the supply cabinet. She saw the blatantly blond head before she heard his voice, "Out of the way, Granger." Draco shoved from her left side, sneering at her. She simply sidestepped and sighed to herself, wondering how two people who were once best friends had gotten to this level. She looked up at him and they connected eyes for just a moment, his piercing blue orbs to her milky brown ones, and she thought she saw a hint of an emotion she couldn't place; sadness or regret, perhaps? She wasn't sure, because he tore his eyes from her within the second and reached out to grab what he needed, quickly turning on his heel and walking to the opposite side of the dungeons.

Gathering her ingredients, Hermione turned back to Harry and Ron. Ron eyed her curiously, whereas Harry demanded outright to know, "Why were you staring at Malfoy?"

"What?" Hermione asked, startled. Had it really been long enough for anyone to notice? She felt as though it wasn't long enough, her stomach churned at the thought, "I wasn't."

Harry looked at her and then simply shook his head, re-focusing on the task at hand - making potions were never his strong suit. Hermione chanced a glance over at Malfoy, and saw him doing, well, nothing. He was sulking, actually. Snape glided over to the table where he was sitting, and leaned over Draco, his greasy hair and hooked nose close in his range. His lips moved quickly, and he motioned quickly the door. Appearing to sigh, Draco got up and strode to the door, opening it quickly and quietly, and slipping out without anyone paying much notice. Snape walked back to the front of the class and addressed the class in his bored and callous voice, "I'm needed outside of this classroom momentarily, and I trust you are all capable of looking after yourselves for a few moments?" He didn't wait for a response as he swept to the back of the class and out the door.

Hermione looked around the room, bewildered. No one seemed as concerned about what was going on as she did, not even Harry - who was always quick to accuse Malfoy of the worst. Hermione cleared her throat and looked at Harry, "Do you still carry your Invisibility Cloak with you?" she whispered to him.

Harry looked at her with raised eyebrows and nodded, "Why?"

"I just…" Hermione glanced towards the back door, "I need to use the bathroom."

He shrugged and mumbled something along the lines of 'girls' and then handed off the Cloak to her. "Thanks," she grabbed the Cloak without further ado and ducked under the table, making a show of dropping her quill, and then threw it over herself. She left her quill on the floor, making a note to pick it up when she returned, and then walked to the back of the room, trying to open the door without making much noise. Harry managed to cause a diversion by throwing hellebore into Ron's potion, which caused his cauldron to disappear, and leave behind a thick black smoke where his potion should have been. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and hurried from the classroom and down the hall, trying her best to find Snape and Draco, to see what they were up to.

She turned the nearest corner and, in front of yet another odd tapestry, were Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy, in a somewhat heated argument. "I don't need you to lecture me, _Snape_." Draco hissed, "I know what I'm doing."

"Do you, Draco?" Snape sighed, as if in defeat, "You don't know what you're asking for."

"I know what I'm asking for." Draco spat at him, and he ran a nervous hand through his hair, "I know what I'm getting myself into."

Snape put a hand on Draco's shoulder, which he brushed off easily, "I don't think that you do. You're not taking this seriously - you don't know what it's like!"

Draco gritted his teeth and moved closer to his teacher; they were now inches away, "I think…" he looked around quickly and then returned to the eye contact he was sharing with Snape, "I do." With that, he turned on his heel and strode off, his lips pressed together. He didn't return to the dungeons, however so Hermione - torn between what was right and what she wanted momentarily - followed after him. She had to jog to keep up with his strides, but eventually they made their way into the Slytherin common room. She followed closely, but not too closely, to Draco so that she could slip into the common room behind him. Hermione followed Draco to his dormitory and watched as he collapsed on his bed and put his head in his hands. He seemed to be shaking and she flexed her hand, ignoring the reflex - no, need - to touch him. She wanted to sit on the bed beside him and just hold him until he was alright, but she knew that she couldn't. Not only did he not know she was there, but they were enemies now. She repeated it to herself over and over and felt tears well in her eyes. Sniffling, Hermione wiped at her eyes as Draco suddenly looked up and his eyes scanned around. He seemed to look directly where Hermione was standing and internally she clicked two puzzle pieces together - her sniffling and his sudden suspicion that someone was watching him. Pressing her palm to her mouth, Hermione tried to inch towards the door as her stomach seemed to hit the ground, it was closed. Now that Draco was watching the room so keenly, she would never be able to get out without him noticing. Finally, Draco addressed the space around him, "Hello? I know someone's there. Is it you, Potter?" he spat out the name, which made Hermione cringe, "Stalking me are you? With that stupid cloak of yours…"

She felt caught, what was she supposed to do? She considered momentarily letting Harry take the blame, but the guilt of even thinking that overwhelmed her and she relented, deciding to just tell him that it was her. How badly could it end, after all? She held her breath as she grasped the Cloak and pulled it off herself, exposing her.


End file.
